Dear Friend,

Yesterday we had a fantastic live video interview with David Greenblatt.

If you didn't know, David was one of the original founders of Endeavor Talent Agency (now William Morris Endeavor), owner of Greenlit Creative, and one of the most powerful literary representatives in Hollywood.

The screenwriting wisdom he imparted was nothing short of extraordinary - and his best business advice is included in this week's newsletter.

Best Part?

The entire video interview will be made available to you – completely FREE - as soon as it's done being formatted.

Just another resource from The Business of Show Institute which will help you build your screenwriting career!

Check out David Greenblatt's best business advice – and the rest of the great content - in this week's Screenwriter's Success Newsletter:

The 3 Pillars of a Screenwriting Business (Part 3): is this week's article by yours truly. In this piece I talk about the 3rd critical building block of any successful screenwriting business. Does your business have this third pillar?

The Box Office Report: gives you the latest feature film releases as well as the opening weekend projections, so you can be on top of this critical information.

The Finest Thing I Can Produce: is this week's article by mc foley. mc is an active writer and regular contributor to this newsletter. The title of her column is "Lessons Learned: One Writer's Journey".

A Legal Perspective for Screenwriters: is our column by entertainment attorney Gordon P. Firemark. To ask your legal questions, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . If your question is chosen, it (and your answer) will appear in an issue of The Screenwriter's Success Newsletter.

You Had Me at Hello – How to Make Your First Page Shine: is this week's article from Director of Development for Clifford Werber Productions, Daniel Manus. The title of his column is "No B.S. for Screenwriters — The Executive Perspective."

A New Seat At An Old Table, Grab a Seat and Speak Up! (Part 2 of 4): is our newest column by entertainment technology/new media expert, Barrett Garese. The title of his column is "Moving Pictures and Technology."

Best Business Advice for Screenwriters: is dedicated to asking a top executive or successful screenwriter the absolute best advice they could give a screenwriter looking for success. This month's contributor? One of the original founders of Endeavor Talent Agency (Now William Morris Endeavor), owner of Greenlit Creative, and one of the most powerful literary representatives in Hollywood – David Greenblatt!

Digging the Well Before You're Thirsty: is our column dedicated to tracking the promotions and movements of Hollywood's Executives. Use this market intelligence wisely...

Do People Talk?: is this week's article from studio reader, screenwriter, novelist, and producer, Liz Maccie. Liz will be giving you her insights as a studio reader who has gone through hundreds of scripts, and is a produced writer herself. The name of her column is "Diary of a Studio Reader".

The Business of Show Institute Recommends: is the weekly screenwriting product or service that our staff has personally reviewed and feel you would benefit from. This week? The Shortcuts to Success – Meeting with the Masters Mentoring Program! Hollywood's only screenwriting mentoring program where Marvin V. Acuna and his network of industry contacts will help you achieve the success you desire and deserve.

That's it for this issue, but we are dedicated to making this newsletter THE resource for aspiring screenwriters.

If you enjoyed it, and would like to pass it along to friends, please have them go directly to http://www.TheBusinessOfShowInstitute.com and have them sign up there.

May Your Life Be Extraordinary,

Marvin V. Acuna

The 3 Pillars of a Screenwriting Business (Part 3)

by Marvin V. Acuna

Gerard J. Arpey, president and CEO of American Airlines said the best business advice he ever got was, "Borrow money when you can, not when you need to." This is sound advice that can be translated and applied to...

Pillar #3: Networking

I find most aspiring screenwriters believe that there is only one specific time and place for networking and it's called "An easel sitting at the entrance of some ballroom with a sign that says so."

Best selling author and syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay said, "If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I've ever met over a lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts."

Personal networking is instrumental to your career. It's an invaluable tool to identifying rare opportunities suited to you, as well as to maximize the value of your current relationships.

But networking ONLY when you need to is foolish and sets the wrong tone. Relationships take time, building rapport requires patience, and entertainment professionals are naturally cautious — if not fearful — of those that are simply taking, rather than giving.

It’s pretty easy to spot those that are just networking purely to take... not to give. Therefore, begin networking before you need anything from anyone.

To start with, you must understand all your strengths and weaknesses. Then, seek opportunities where your abilities contribute value to others.

Others will want to be a part of your network if they know that you will add value. And more importantly, your existing relationships will be strengthened if you can consistently add value to those in your network.

Your mission: be the first person everyone remembers and suggests when others ask, "Do you know anyone who..."

Start now, and become a trusted node and connector, not a fragmented meteor that is visible as it enters the atmosphere.

Consider this: Networking is ALL about mutual benefit...

So why not GIVE first?

In summary, I feel it's important for you to know... talent is only one part of the equation. If you are a hobbyist then this may not ring true to you. That's ok. You aren't looking to make a living off your hobby. I get it!

But, if you are reading this and are committed to working as an entertainment professional then I leave you with this...

"Business art is the step that comes after art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called "art" or whatever it's called, I went into business art. I want to be an art business man or business artist." – Andy Warhol

The Box Office Report

Lessons Learned: One Writer's Journey

The Finest Thing I Can Produce

by mc foley

For those of you living in New York, the Tribeca Film Festival might be very familiar. The annual festival, which takes place in April 2010, is connected to the Tribeca Film Institute — a 501c3, which was created by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of September 11th to, in their words, "educate, entertain, and inspire filmmakers and film lovers alike."

The Institute also sponsors a program called Tribeca All Access (TAA), which is now accepting applications from screenwriters — and which supports (also in their words): "directors and screenwriters from traditionally under-represented communities in the film industry by serving as a year round networking and career development forum that provides access to industry representatives looking for new projects in development."

A few friends of mine have been selected to go through this program, and in addition to being flown out to NYC and treated to a first-class lifestyle for the entirety of their visit — for those who narrowed in and used the opportunity to its fullest, it lead them to even greener pastures. One, for example, made the permanent move to LA after he nabbed a Disney fellowship — an opportunity, which only happened because of his participation in TAA.** (see note below)

And his participation in TAA only happened — because he'd painstakingly carved and crafted and re-worked his feature specs until they were the very best execution of his idea and most exquisite use of his writing skills and unique voice.

What TAA offers to its selected screenwriters is a great example of the need to be BOTH: extremely talented in my craft — and extremely knowledgeable about the market. Even if I don't know every player in the field, every company, every film ever made... I need to, at the very least, know the big players in my genre. Know exactly whom I would pitch my project to — because there is actually some chance that they might be interested in making this film since it reflects their typical or current slate, or I've heard they are specifically looking for a story containing my sort of protagonist in my sort of situation, targeting the same audience my story targets... and etc.

I say this because the application process to TAA, like many other programs, is not a one-step deal. In order to apply, I must firstly, submit my script and other normal application materials — and, if selected to move onto the next round, I have to pass the phone interview. This interview is not described on their website; however, from word of mouth, I know it exists. Considering each selected applicant proves their writing skills via the application and script, the purpose of the interview must be two-fold:

1 – To gauge an applicant's demeanor and/or personality. As a large part of TAA includes setting up a slew of face-to-face meetings with industry executives for the selected writers, the institute undoubtedly needs to vet each person — to make sure that this is someone they feel confident they can place in a room with an executive and say "here is someone you want to work with — someone with a great potential film — and a great potential career."

2 – To gauge an applicant's understanding of the business. Can he/she name companies they've researched? Do they have at least some understanding that this industry is just that — an industry — ?

I bring up TAA as just one example of the multiple skills needed to push through and survive as a writer in the film/tv/new media world — aka: the entertainment industry. And it's a great example because it presents two (initial) gates that the warrior — er... I mean, writer — must pass.

One — the gate/challenge of solitary skill: Can I build the greatest weapon, ie: think up a compelling story and then skillfully execute that idea by bringing it to life on the page? And Two — the gate/challenge of hand-to-hand combat: Can I zero in on my target (er... company and/or executive, etc) and take successful aim from across a chaotic battlefield?

Just as Richard Arlook discussed in last week's newsletter, "All the great advice in the world, in terms of how to market yourself and sell your material, is pointless and worthless if your material doesn't rise to the top, and isn't good... So the first thing is, truly working on your craft..."

It's all relative, and ultimately, we all have different approaches and means to reach our goals — however, in my eyes — my first priority — is chipping away at my script, my statue of David, until it is the finest thing I can produce.

Again — that's just number one.

And once I know I'm packing heat — I can devise my strategy to send that genius out into the world, infest it with the undiscovered brilliance bursting from the very seams of my brain... and launch my ulterior motive of world domination.

Yeah.

-mc foley


**(And again, of the writers I know who've gone through the Disney fellowship — for those who used the opportunity to its fullest — they are now Emmy-nominated TV writers, successful screenwriters and Showrunners. I describe it in this manner because — as with any program — just being selected to participate does not guarantee that the program will benefit a career in any way. It only seems to benefit certain writers — who manage to take the opportunity and run with it).


About mc foley:
Melinda Corazon Foley was born in Cebu, Philippines, raised in Virginia and currently resides in West Hollywood, CA. In 2005, MC Foley was named East West Players' James Irvine Foundation Mentee affording her the privilege to craft a new original stage play, the result: "Down and Out." It debuted at the Union Center for the Arts. Foley was then awarded the Asian American Writers Workshop Scholarship, which she utilized to re-imagine the aforementioned play into a web based series incorporating verse, motion graphics and comic book illustrations. Recently Ms. Foley completed work on a debut YA novel, The Ice Hotel. The novel is a fantasy adventure written especially for readers experiencing the profound pain of loss. In the book, a family, reeling from their eldest son's death, escapes to the Ice Hotel, where an age-old, arctic magic connects this world to the next.

A Legal Perspective for Screenwriters

by Gordon P. Firemark

Question:
"Can a writer give a waiver not to sue to a producer to steal their property, since theft is a crime and would be prosecuted in the criminal courts? Is there any civil remedy to the writer for theft?"

Answer:
Yes, a writer CAN sign a waiver promising not to sue a producer who misappropriates the writer's property. In fact, unless the writer is represented by an agent (or sometimes an attorney) many producers won't even consider looking at a pitch, treatment, script or whatever, without such a document, usually called a "release."

These releases are typically very broad, with the writer acknowledging that the producer may have similar or identical material already in development, etc., and promising not to sue if the producer later releases a project resembling (or identical to) something the writer has presented. When representing writers, we lawyers often refer to these releases as 'licenses to steal,' and recommend strongly that our clients do NOT sign them.

You're correct that "theft" is a category of criminal charge. Rare indeed is the criminal theft case alleging theft of a writer's intangible property.

In the context of writers' works, the civil equivalent of a theft charge can take several forms:

1. Copyright Infringement applies when the tangible embodiment of an original work of authorship is COPIED, distributed, performed, displayed or adapted without the author's consent.


2. If the work isn't protected by Copyright law (usually because it's merely an idea, rather than something that's been written out as a treatment, screenplay, etc.), we look to "theft of idea" claims, which actually arise under contract law and tort theories. For example, where the writer makes a 'pitch' at a meeting with a producer, there may IMPLIED contractual promise of compensation if the producer uses that idea.... Or, better still, an express agreement of compensation. If the producer fails to abide by this agreement, the writer could sue for breach.

There are countless other types of claims which could arise in this context, all depending on the specific facts of the case. As always, if you've got questions about a real legal situation, consult an attorney for custom-tailored legal advice given after careful consideration of your specific situation.


Have a legal question? Email them to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The foregoing is intended as general information only and does not establish an attorney-client relationship with Mr. Firemark. This information is not a substitute for a private, independent consultation with an attorney selected to advise you after a full investigation of the facts and law relevant to your matter. Neither Mr. Firemark nor The Business of Show Institute will be responsible for readers' detrimental reliance upon the information appearing in this column.

About Gordon P. Firemark:
Gordon Firemark is an attorney whose practice is devoted to the representation of artists, writers, producers and directors in the fields of theater, film, television,and music. He is also the publisher of Entertainment Law Update, a newsletter for artists and professionals in the entertainment industries. His practice also covers intellectual property, cyberspace, new media and business/corporate matters for clients in the entertainment industry.

Mr. Firemark serves on the Boards of Governors of The Los Angeles Stage Alliance (the organization responsible for the annual Ovation Awards for excellence in Theater), and The Academy for New Musical Theatre. In the past he has served on the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, where he served as liason to the Association’s Entertainment Law Section (of which he is a former chairman).

Mr. Firemark holds a B.A. in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Oregon, and earned his law degree at Southwestern University School of Law. Before opening The Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark, Mr. Firemark was a partner with the Business Affairs Group, a boutique entertainment law firm in Los Angeles. He has also worked in the legal and business affairs departments at Hanna Barbera Productions and the MGM/UA Worldwide Television Group, and started his legal career as an associate at Neville L. Johnson & Associates, a West L.A. firm specializing in entertainment litigation.

For more about Mr. Firemark, visit http://firemark.com/.

No B.S. for Screenwriters - The Executive Perspective

You Had Me at Hello – How to Make Your First Page Shine

by Daniel Manus

You've all heard the horror stories of producers who only read the first page and if they're not hooked, intrigued or impressed, they toss the script. And it's been drilled into you how important the first page is and how you better have something big and shiny there to keep people's attentions and make sure they read page two. And while I've never ONLY read one page of a script before passing, I can usually tell if it’s going to be a worthwhile script just by reading this single piece of paper, representative of weeks, months or years of hard work. Fair? No. True? Yes. An A-list writer once said "It usually takes one page to figure out if the writing is good, but one line to know if it's bad."

Much like your title and your logline, your first page needs to tell a reader certain things. It should set up and tell us the tone of the script. Is it dark and creepy or is it happy and funny? Is there a sense of suspense, uneasiness, anxiety, death, happiness, love, etc? Your first page should make us feel an emotion — whatever the correct emotion is for your story. It should tell us the setting and time period so we know where we are. Unless otherwise stated, execs will assume your script takes place in the present. If it doesn't, you should state this on page one so we know that your writing is genuine to the time period.

If you are writing a horror, there should be a feeling that death is looming (think the first scene of "Scream"). If you're writing a comedy, something should be done or said or seen that makes me laugh. And if you're writing an action movie, you should start with a bang or at least make it clear that a bang is coming right around the corner.

It should introduce us to either your protagonist/hero or your antagonist/villain. Sometimes it's creepy to start by focusing on the bad guy or his crime or something similar. With a horror movie, much like with TV shows, the first scene is often a teaser setting up a killing that may not include your main characters at all, but sets up the story and the tone and that your main characters will soon be put into a similar gruesome situation. Your description of your main character should be a bit more extensive and really make us feel like we know him or her, though it should not tell us anything that we can't physically see on screen. Don't give us back story in your description on page one unless we are seeing it on screen — that's an amateur mistake.

Obviously there should not be any typos or grammatical or formatting mistakes. If your first page has a couple of typos, I will not read page two. Life's too short. You should start your first page with FADE IN: and that should be the last time you type those words. Then comes your scene heading and then...you're off.

And finally, your first page should grab me and show me that you have a voice as a writer that is going to make this script an enjoyable read. It should tell me in subtle and interesting ways that you are unique. And most importantly, it should make me want to read more.

You can use a fair amount of description on page one — more than usual — as you are setting up a fair amount of information. I know I've said that executives love white space and more dialogue on the page, but the first page is the exception page. It's fine to open with some dialogue (usually done more in comedies then other genres), but it's okay to switch up the ratio on page one also.

I wanted to share with you a few often-made first page mistakes. First, if the whole first page is just a narrator's voice over speech with no description or action or anything happening on screen, this tells me there's nothing happening. Even if you're using a voice over as the first dialogue in your script, you have to set the scene first and tell us what we're seeing. If I am totally confused and have no idea where the script is taking place, this will cause a "huh?" moment, and you don't want one of these on page one. If the dialogue is cliché or feels slight or stale or repetitive, that's going to be an instant turn off. If there's dialogue on page one, it needs to pop and put us into the mindset and voice of the character.

Basically you need to paint a picture on page one and make it clear that your story is visual and your writing is interesting. Can you do all these things on page one? Well, it's not easy. But the more of these things you can do, the better the chance that people get to page two... ten... and 110.


About Daniel Manus:
Daniel Manus is the Director of Development for Clifford Werber Productions (Cinderella Story, Sydney White). CWP recently set up a family fantasy/adventure project at United Artists which Daniel is attached to co-produce. He is also attached to produce several projects independently including "Dreams of an Aspiring Romantic," starring Emily Osment and "Strange Fruit," written by J.S. Cardone (Prom Night).

Daniel recently started his own script consulting company - No BullScript Consulting, which can be found at www.nobullscript.net. He has been a freelance script consultant for years, working for companies such as ScriptShark and Script Coach and teaches courses to writers at conferences around the country.

Daniel was previously Director of Development for Sandstorm Films, which had a first look deal at Sony Screen Gems and a development deal with Top Cow Comics. Raised on Long Island, NY, he holds a BS degree in Television with a concentration in Screenwriting from the Ithaca College Park School of Communications.

Moving Pictures and Technology

A New Seat At An Old Table, Grab a Seat and Speak Up! (Part 2 of 4)

Getting from the Present to the Future

The argument is often made that the internet is putting thousands of people out of work and killing off professional content. This may or may not be true; however it's irrelevant for the following reason: disruptive technologies always put people out of work...temporarily. The automobile put thousands of coachbuilders and workers out of business as well. The smart ones adapted their businesses or skillsets while the others went away. It would be lunacy to suggest that the coachbuilders have put "guardrails" on the march of progress (though they definitely tried) and we would have been much worse off if that had been the case. Mark my words that if we shortsightedly protect a business model which does not reflect current market conditions and the further progression of modern technology we'll be far worse off in the long run.

Now this is not a judgment on piracy or downloading, and I'll refrain from opining on said practices. The existence of worldwide piracy is, however, a reality and must be taken into consideration. If you're selling propriety shiny discs, or timed scarcity, then understand that there is a competitor in the marketplace which offers the exact same experience for less, legal or not, and is unhindered by things like "manufacturing costs" or “"hipping details."

With that said, I'll move on to what I do think the answers are, for better or for worse.

With scarcity gone, there must be something worth paying for, otherwise there's quite literally no business model at all for large-scale content creation. Unlike others, I don't think that "convergence" is the future. I don't see television, movies, and online content merging into one indistinguishable entity. In fact, I think the best scenario for content involves doing the exact opposite and emphasizing each medium's respective differences.

Every medium has its own distinct pros and cons, and since scarcity is no longer a viable option, the unique experience imparted by every medium must now be its selling point. Let's examine how that affects the business models we discussed earlier.

Film is an easy first example, because there is quite literally no adequate emulation of the theatrical experience. Seeing a big movie like Star Trek or a small indie-flick like Brick at home — regardless of the expense of your entertainment system — is no comparison to seeing it on a huge screen in a full theater. This goes double for a comedy or event film: there's something about the shared experience within a crowd of hundreds that's impossible to emulate in any other environment. The human element — cell phones aside — adds to the theatrical experience; and the theatrical experience has to be seen as duplicable.

3D is another very convincing experience argument; however it needs to progress beyond gimmicky tricks and into a serious filmmaker's technique. Right now, 3D is a $4 add-on for a movie someone already intended to see. Elevate it alongside the other skills in a director's repertoire, and it becomes the reason people attend certain films in a theater. With wide-scale 3D television adoption at least a decade off, this can be a real differentiation factor to seeing a film at home. James Cameron’s AVATAR is the nearest release to present a strong argument that 3D is the only "real" way to experience this film, but it must be followed by others. Give the audience a reason to differentiate between theatrical and home experiences.

Television is a much trickier proposition for two reasons: First, the argument of "live VS DVR" is generally already settled amongst those who own DVR devices. Second, the experience of watching a television show (pirated or legally) on your laptop is nearly identical to watching it live or DVRed on television. Some would argue the experience is actually better in a pirated scenario, and as more and more devices have the ability to display downloaded content onto televisions, it becomes harder and harder to defend the economic viability of current "live broadcast" models.

Outside of sporting events, most shows are identical when viewed a day, a month, or a year later. The idea of evergreen content is what launched the syndication model: if a show is fun to watch now, it'll be fun to watch later. The irony is that in the effort to produce shows that can live on forever in syndication, the idea of creating that unique experience was gradually diluted out of the entire process. Only now are we realizing the effects of this decision, and it's manifesting in no reason at all to watch a program "live broadcast" versus later.

The only shows adapting to this environment are viewer-participatory reality shows. These shows have created an environment in which the only way to participate in the voting (i.e. the season's dramatic arc) is to view and vote within a certain period of airing. Yes, the show can always be watched later, and the drama and rooting for your favorite people will still exist — but to truly have the "whole experience" including voting, you only have a short window. This can work when the show is built on viewer participation, but is of no use in scripted programming as we see it today, where the audience is generally just along for the ride. Thus, the overly broad question of "how do we save television" shifts to the more specific "what unique experience can we impart on our audience that they cannot have in any other scenario?"

This brings us to my favorite bit, and the part I think will have the biggest impact over the next decade: online content. Online and traditional content have begun to blur a bit when both are being consumed online. The lines between what constitutes television and what constitutes online content are continuing to get ever closer. This is very dangerous to the long-term health of online content. I've often said that the job of a creator is not just to make good content, but to make good content specific to a certain media. Each medium has unique advantages and disadvantages, and the creator must craft an experience that accentuates the advantages and mitigates the disadvantages of the medium in which it lives.

The most important question for the future of all online content is this: "What are those unique elements which allow content created primarily for online consumption to stand apart from its more 'traditional' or 'mainstream' rivals?" Film can tell an epic story over a period of 1.5-3 hours on a scale that's unmatched in other media. Television can tell a story over a period of dozens or hundreds of hours with an intricacy and character development that's as of yet untouched in other media. What is the "online experience" that makes telling a story in this medium so different the experience in any other?

For online content to further expand, we must experiment to find and exploit those unique elements that enable the experience itself to stand as the draw. So long as we're content to mimic other media, it will never grow into a viable "mainstream" entertainment medium. If all you're doing is creating "TV-lite" or "Film-lite" in an attempt to mimic the experience, then there are already better competitors out there — they’re called "Film" and "TV," and most people are already familiar.

There are advantages built into the way we interact with social and online media that can allow for a freedom of storytelling across a much wider spectrum than anything else out there. There are advantages that stem from intimacy, user expectation, depth of experience, and portability. There is a scale and a bidirectional freedom which stems from the online shift to "conversation" versus "broadcast" that's just starting to really take hold in the content iself. We're barely scratching the surface of what's possible and the best news is that new tools are being built every day that can allow for different storytelling techniques, and if the tools aren't already out there you can build them yourself.

There are great shows out there now, but too many are being created as if they were a smaller and more inexpensive version of a television show. Online content can be so much more. Our jobs over the next few years will be to experiment within this medium and find those elements that enable a truly unique audience experience that stands apart from any and all other entertainment media. Only then can we begin to explore what "online content" means within the larger entertainment spectrum.


About Barrett Garese:
Barrett Garese is the founder of Spytap Industries, a company dedicated to advancing the knowledge and adoption of mobile, social and online media.

Previously, Barrett helped create UTA Online, the broadband content division of leading Hollywood talent and literary agency United Talent Agency, and the first major agency division devoted to the representation and monetization of online content. While at UTA, Barrett represented premier video content creators, bloggers and other elite digital artists on the internet, and worked to create a marketplace for online content and creators.

He can be found online at www.barrettgarese.com, facebook.com/barrettgarese, and followed on twitter @spytap.

Best Business Advice for Screenwriters

David Greenblatt, one of the original founders of Endeavor Talent Agency (now William Morris Endeavor), owner of Greenlit Creative, and one of the most powerful literary representatives in Hollywood - on his best business advice for screenwriters:

"...Do something that is meaningful and that you're passionate about. And it's funny because I'm going to contradict myself again, because again, you don't want to think about your audience. If you want to sell a Hollywood movie, understand what Warner's is looking for, and Paramount, and Fox, and Universal, and MGM, and what ALL these guys are looking for. Having said that, they may WANT the next Napoleon Dynamite — you just don't know.

"So the best business advice is... cliché sounding, but, a pearl is created by a grain of sand that is irritating an oyster, right? So, your IDEA is the grain of sand you can't get out of your mind. You can't get it out of your gut. You're sleepless about it. That's all you're thinking about. There's something driving you to that, and hey, you gotta try and tap into that. Because that's how a pearl is created. Again, I know that sounds cliché, but you know, if you look at a great screenplay as a pearl, then something about that idea drove that writer to do that."

(Editor's Note: Yet another top Hollywood Executive talking about wrapping your passionate story ideas within a commercially viable and marketable framework!)

Digging the Well Before You're Thirsty:

Tracking the Movement of Hollywood's Executives

What do you do when a friend gets promoted or moves to a new position? You congratulate them right?

What else might you do? You might send them a card telling them how excited you are for their new position. Later, you might follow up with that person to see how they're settling in. Then, you might send them an interesting article once in a while.

Why would you do this? Because that's how relationships are nurtured and developed. (They're not developed by asking for favors before the relationship has matured)

So we'd like you to help us in congratulating the following executives who have just been promoted or moved positions.

The Business of Show Institute Congratulates the Following Executives in Their New Positions:

Melanie Elman
Talent Agent, Gersh

Marc Lorber
Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Production, HBO Central Europe

Liza Marshall
Head of U.K. Operations, Scott Free

Kathy Samuels
Executive Producer, Hasbro Studios

The Diary of a Studio Reader

Do People Talk?

by Liz Maccie

Do people talk? Yes, one hundred percent,absolutely. Although this might sound contradictory, the entertainment industry is actually a very small world. Meaning what? Meaning, someone who was an executive assistant over at Paramount is now the VP of Development over at Sony and is leaving this week to become Senior Vice President of Development over at yet another studio. This one person carries all the contacts of their previous three employments. And those previous contacts, by the way, have also changed and moved up and around the ladder as well. That’s why the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,”is so applicable when it comes to the entertainment industry. If you know one person, six degrees of separation later, you know thirty people.

So what does this have to do with anything? It is simply this; with quality material... word always gets around. And fast. Also, since this business is built upon relationships and friendships, one studio might get a script which is terribly wrong for them, but incredibly right for a different studio, in which case this script could be passed on to a contact at that other studio. Trust me, this happens more often than you would think.

Let me give you an example. I read a family comedy script for a studio that was actively looking for a family-type of movie. The script was wonderful. It was funny and sweet, timely and relatable. But there was something about the story which just wasn't right for the studio for which I was reading. The story was a tad too old to apply to their current demographic and aging the characters down would compromise the story's original intent. But it was too good to pass on, so what did I do? I completely recommended it to an affiliated, yet separate studio. I explained in my analysis why I thought it wasn't a perfect match for studio A, but how it could be a wonderful opportunity for studio B. As it turned out, my boss at the time was good friends with the VP of Development over at studio B, so the script was passed to them and acquired.

These gestures go a long way in continuing to solidify and develop reciprocal relationships. Although we sometimes tend as writers to over-empower the executives, they are really people just like you and me. They have "business friendships" as well as "personal friendships" with other individuals involved in this industry. It is nothing for one executive to make another executive aware of a great script or an undiscovered gem of a writer.

Let me give you one more example. I read a script which had been submitted by an agent whom I am very fond of. The script was excellent, but not right for the studio. I personally called this agent and let him know what the studio specifically was looking for in their current mandate. I also gave him hints as to how he could pitch his writer to development. I didn't know this writer, but the agent is a friend of mine, so I wanted good things to happen for him. Also, this writer was fantastic. I knew he just needed the correct opportunity to shine. In one scenario, I helped my friend, his client, and the studio. That's a win-win-win, across the board.

So, yes, people talk, all the time. And as I say in every article, this just yet again emphasizes the point that quality writing, talent, and original concept will always find a way of rising to the top. So remember, you may feel like your work is getting lost in the cracks, but have faith and realize that crack might actually be an entirely new door, new opportunity, busting open for your taking.


About Liz Maccie:
Beyond serving as freelance studio reader, Ms. Maccie's credit's include the soon to be published debut young adult novel, "Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy." Liz received the prestigious Editor's Choice Award and has been honored with the endorsement and the book's foreword by best selling author of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", Stephen Chbosky.

"Liz Maccie's debut novel is as tough, optimistic, and beautiful as her heroine, Roberta Romano. Roberta's voice is heartfelt and funny. Her story is exceptionally moving and honest. I love this book and the hope it has for young women everywhere." Stephen Chbosky author, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Additionally, she has worked as a professional screenwriter. Her past produced films include, "The Thirst," (2006) starring Jeremy Sisto, Adam Baldwin, and Claire Kramer and "Black and Blue," starring award-winning singer/songwriter, Christine Evans (newscom.com).

Liz also produced the feature documentary, "Leaving Vogue Moran." The documentary is a coming-of-age story about a 43 year old man who transforms from self-loathing to self-love. Other notable credits include, writing for the teen talk show pilot entitled, "Danny Dish," starring American Idol's Danny Noriega.

Passionate about storytelling for young adults, Liz is an active volunteer for The Young Storytellers Foundation. Finally, Liz is currently working on her second YA novel entitled: "Scoops."

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